How good does
a person have to be to get to heaven? Basically good? Sincerely good? Outwardly
good? No. He has to be perfectly good, as good as God himself. That which man
looks upon as and calls his "personal righteousness" is of absolutely
no value in the sight of God (Isa. 64:6).

Man's
definition of righteousness depends entirely upon his definition and
understanding of God. The problem is, most have never seen God in his glorious
holiness. Once a sinner sees God in his holiness, he will cease forever to
speak of his own goodness, personal holiness and self-righteousness. With
Isaiah, he will cry, "Woe is me! I am undone!" (Isa. 6:1-6). With
Job, he will say, "I have heard, of thee by the hearing of the ear: but
now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself" (Job 42:5-6).
"Behold, I am vile!" (Job 40:4). Who can stand in the presence of the
holy Lord God?

NO SON OF ADAM
CAN EVER STAND IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD, BECAUSE WE ARE ALL CURSED (Gal. 3:10).
God is so infinitely holy that he charges the angels with folly, so holy that
the heavens are not clean in his sight, so holy that when he found sin upon his
own dear Son he forsook him and killed him! Are we better than the angels? Are
we purer than the heavens? Dare we imagine that God will accept us, with our
polluted works, when he killed his own Son for sin?

ONLY ONE WHO
IS HIMSELF EQUAL TO GOD CAN STAND IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND PLEASE HIM (Psa.
24:3-5; Matt. 17:5). That righteousness which God requires, only God can give.
Yet, it must be the work of a man, or it is of no value to men. Blessed be God!
There is a Man who is himself God, who has magnified the law and made it
honorable. He has brought in an everlasting righteousness by his perfect
obedience to the law as a man, even the; very righteousness of God! He has
satisfied the law's justice, by dying under its curse. And he lives forever to
give righteousness and eternal life to sinners. That Man-God is Jesus Christ
the Lord.